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This past weekend, I went to a sushi place with a friend where you fill out one of those little paper sheets… I bubbled the wrong one and I didn’t get to eat what I wanted! Which concerns me because I really wanted a cucumber roll and because I just finished a bubble-in bar exam…

Regardless, I had vegetable rolls on the brain so I whipped these up. I had a stroke of genius when I saw the bright red poaching liquid, and steeped my rice paper in the colored water to get these beautiful hot pink wrapped summer rolls. I experimented by brushing them wrappers with the poaching liquid instead of steeping them. The difference is the intensity of the color of the wrapper. If you prefer the darker wrapper, steep the wrappers.

I imagine that making these in all sorts of different colors for a themed party would be fun, or perhaps if you have children making these brightly colored rolls together might encourage them to consume more vegetables.

Party, children, or not… these are delicious and packed with fresh vegetables to get you ramped up for the spring!

Hot Pink Vegetable Summer Rolls (Kaprise Kitchen)

1 pound of beets

7 carrots

4 kirby cucumbers

1 bunch of cilantro

1 bunch of mint

1/2 pound of mung bean sprouts

rice paper wrappers

Wash, peel, and quarter the beets. In a saucepan, cover the beets with water and boil with a pinch of salt for 30 minutes, or until tender.

While your beets boil, wash all of your vegetables and let them drain on a paper towel covered baking sheet (or clean dish towel, if you are more environmentally friendly than I).

Cut the cucumber and carrots into batonnets

Once the beets have been boiled and cooled a bit, also cut those into batonnets, reserving the boiling liquid.

In a large bowl, pour the warm beet liquid (or simply warm water for non-colored summer rolls). Make sure your water isn’t too hot or the wrappers will get too soft and rip.

Gently dip the wrappers into the water, making sure to coat both sides with the water. The wrapper should absorb some water, but still be firm. The wrapper will continue to absorb water as you work, and soften. Remember, you can always dab a little more water if your wrapper is too sticky or too firm.

Place the wrapper on a cutting board (or smooth surface), add filling, roll… and enjoy!!

Before we get started – I am going to suggest that you add the spices in increments. I really wanted a gingery-carrot flavor so I was heavy handed with my ginger, but for those of you who are less inclined towards ginger, cumin, and mustard, you should add in small increments so that you can season accordingly. The result I got was a mildly spicy quinoa cake with a crispy exterior and squishy inside… so if you want even MORE ginger, go for it!!!

Thoroughly wash quinoa in a mesh sieve

Bring quinoa to a boil in 2 cups of water. Once the water comes to a rolling boil, lower the heat to low/medium and cover. Cook for 20 minutes, or until the quinoa has cooked through. Fluff with a fork and let it cool.

In a large bowl, combine the shredded carrot and brussel sprouts

Add the quinoa and stir until well combined.

Slowly add your spices until you get the flavor profile you like. Keep in mind that the ginger will mellow significantly as you cook.

Mix in whisked eggs until well combined.

Drizzle olive oil on a cooke sheet. I used a foil covered sheet, but still found that I got a little sticking, so I recommend using a non-stick surface and plenty of oil. I don’t think parchment paper will work since it will absorb the moisture, but perhaps a silicone baking sheet, or an enamel pan would work. Let me know in the comments if you end up finding a better solution than tin foil!

Measure out 1/3 cup fulls of quinoa. Pat into circles and place evenly spaced on a cookie sheet

Bake at 400F for about 30-40 minutes, or until the bottoms have browned and the insides are cooked through. I drizzled a little extra olive oil at the 1/2 point.

Enjoy with salad!!!

I hope you guys enjoy this variation of quinoa patties. I felt like I needed to come up with one that didn’t require me hovering over sputtering oil, and this was just the ticket.

Guys… Baja fish. It’s tender, delicate, and delicious. Mine was prepared simply… just a tiny pinch of salt and a light dusting of flour before being pan fried in olive oil. Can I just tell you? AMAZING!

I had a few pieces of fish left over, and I couldn’t stop thinking about ways to prepare the fish. Scallion? Ginger? Salad? Sandwich?! Then I thought, “BITE-SIZED!” and came up with this!

Sweet Potato Baja Fish Bites (Kaprise Kitchen Original)

2 filets of baja fish

1 teaspoon of salt

3 tablespoons of flour (for those Paleo eaters, you can omit this all together or batter your fish in egg, or dip lightly in fine almond flour)

1 sweet potato

1 carrot

1 teaspoon of grainy mustard

1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar reduction

Slice the sweet potato and carrot into 1/2 inch slices, toss in olive oil, and roast in the oven at 425F for 25 minutes, until crisp. (You can also do this the day before and chill in the refrigerator)

Heat a non-stick skillet with a little olive oil. Sprinkle the baja fish with a teensy bit of fine salt and lightly flour. Fry the fish for 4 minutes on each side, until cooked through. (Also, can be done a day in advance and chilled in the refrigerator)

In a large serving platter, place the slices of sweet potato

Gently brush each sweet potato with a thin layer of mustard

Top each sweet potato/mustard with a piece of fish, sliced to fit the pieces.

Garnish with a little sliver of roasted carrot

Top each bite with a drop or two of balsamic vinegar reduction.

Eat!!!

Balsamic Vinegar Reduction: Super easy! Just put some balsamic vinegar in a non-reactive pan, medium heat, cover, and reduce until 1/2 volume. Make sure your kitchen is well ventilated, and please, for the love of cooking, do not sniff the mixture! Just let it bubble away until it’s 1/2 volume. Cool and store in an airtight jar. Use on anything.

Note: You can use any type of left over fish in this recipe. I do think that the baja was a perfect match for the sweetness of the sweet potato, but I can see cod being really good too. I would do a tilapia also, but maybe with a chili-cilantro salsa instead of balsamic.

I hope you guys enjoyed this recipe! Also… Happy Valentines Day!!! Celebrate those you love, and celebrate yourself, because there is no one else you should love more!!!

This is a recipe for Korean braised beef short-ribs… my way. My mother used to make this for me with the proper accoutrements (ginko, chestnuts, dried mushrooms, and Korean radish), but I was delirious, compliments of my cold, at the supermarket so I made do when I got home with a random assortment of food items. The recipe itself is pretty straightforward, but it is important to properly prep the short-ribs before braising them with the sauce and vegetables, otherwise your dish will been extremely greasy because of the heavy marbling in the beef.

Galbi Jjim

2 pounds of bone-in beef short-ribs

1 1/2 cups of filtered water

1/4 cup of soy sauce

2 tablespoons of sesame oil

3 tablespoons of fresh chopped garlic

1 small sliced onion

1 teaspoon of brown sugar

1 small bunch of sliced green onion

2 King Oyster mushrooms, sliced

2 red potatoes, cubed

2 carrots, 1 inch slices

Cut the short-ribs, one bone per piece.

Place the short-ribs into a large pot, with the bone vertical. Fill the pot with cold water and allow the beef to soak for 1 hour. Change the water three to four times.

Change the water in the pot one final time, and bring the pot of ribs and water to a rolling boil

Simmer the ribs for 15 minutes

During this time, whisk the water, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and white onion into a bowl.

Remove the ribs with tongs and place on a clean dish. (I also rinsed the ribs under cool water once more to remove a little extra fat)

Pour the remaining liquid into a heat-proof bowl*(because of the high fat content, flushing the liquid down the sink will clog your drain. Instead, let the liquid cool and the fat to float to the service. Discard the fat in the trash. The remaining poaching liquid is beef stock that you can either keep for another dish, or discard. I kept it and put it in my beef stew I made the following morning)

Clean out your pot, and then place the ribs back inside of the pot.

Add the soy sauce mixture, and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes

In the mean time, slice the potato, carrot, green onion, mushroom (and really any other vegetable that you want to add, just make sure it’s a sturdy vegetable that will hold up after simmer for an hour).

Add the vegetables to the pot, and using a spoon drizzle some of the liquid over the vegetables

Cover tightly and simmer over low heat for 1 hour. (DO NOT OPEN THE LID OF THE POT FOR ONE HOUR)

Check the beef after 1 hour by sliding a knife into the meat. If your knife slides in the meat easily, the dish is ready. If the meat resists, then cover and simmer for another 15 to 30 minutes.

Serve with steamed rice 🙂

Notes on this recipe:

This is not a traditional Galbi Jjim recipe… at all

Use a heavy pot, like a Le Creuset, with an equally heavy lid

Do NOT open the lid of the pot while the meat is simmering, the steam that forms inside of the pot is essential in allowing the meat to cook evenly.

Be sure to use LOW heat to ensure your braise doesn’t burn and that you have even cooking

Two pounds of short-ribs is enough for two to three people

Left-overs keep well for up to 3 days (That’s how long mine stayed in my fridge before I devoured it, I’m sure it’s good for up to a week, but I can’t guarantee past 3 days).